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The Founder’s Survival Audit

Why It’s the Highest-ROI “Unsexy” Project You’ll Ever Run

Photo by Charlie Solorzano on Pexels.com

TL;DR

Audits are not red tape. They’re structured ways to find and fix revenue leaks, time drains, and team friction before they become expensive.
You gain clarity, margin, and momentum. Expect fewer fires, crisper focus, better handoffs, and a team that ships more with less drama.
Content Ops benefits: cleaner messaging, less duplicated work, and content mapped to revenue.
Business Ops benefits: documented processes, faster delivery, reduced founder dependency, and scalable systems.
People Ops benefits: role clarity, better hiring, higher accountability, and healthier culture.
Run it in three passes: Inventory → Evaluate → Optimize. Start with a 90-day roadmap tied to 3–5 measurable outcomes.
Quick win checklist at the end + clear CTA to start your audit or bring in a partner.

The Not-So-Scary A-Word

The word “audit” sounds like a visit to the dentist, necessary but deeply avoidable. For founders, it conjures images of clipboards, compliance, and a week lost in a spreadsheet dungeon.

Here’s the reality: a founder-friendly audit is simply a disciplined look under the hood to find out where your business is leaking money, time, and energy. That’s it. No paper gown. No interrogation lamp. Just the practices, tools, habits, and handoffs that make your company run (or stall).

Why now? Because growth hides inefficiency. When things are moving fast, small problems get paved over by momentum, until momentum slows and the bill arrives. Audits help you pay the small bill early instead of the large one later.

If you want margins back, time back, and your weekends back, this article is for you.

Why You Should Do an Audit

1. Busy is not the same as progress

A packed calendar looks productive, but busy teams often ship slowly, context-switch constantly, and duplicate effort. Audits separate “motion” from progress by exposing activities that don’t move the needle.

Hypothetical scenario: A 14-person team is “at capacity,” yet customer NPS is flat and projects slip. The audit reveals 30% of working time is consumed by status meetings and ad hoc approvals. Reducing both by half immediately frees 2–3 full-time equivalents of productive capacity (without hiring).

2. Growth amplifies both strengths and weaknesses

As you add customers and headcount, friction compounds. The process that “worked when we were five people” becomes chaos at fifteen. An audit pinpoints where scale is colliding with reality.

3. Complexity creeps in quietly

Most operational entropy arrives in 2-3 sentence increments: “Let’s just add this step.” “We should also copy that report.” Six months later, you have seven versions of the truth and no one trusts the dashboard. An audit trims the ivy.

4. Founder dependency is expensive

If you remain the router for every decision, growth will stall where your calendar ends. Audits intentionally remove you as the single point of failure.

5. The opportunity cost is invisible, but real

Every extra handoff, unclear role, or misaligned piece of content is a tax on momentum. You pay it whether you see it or not. Audits surface and shrink that tax.

Bottom line: You don’t audit to be perfect. You audit to be profitable, sustainable, and sane.

What You Actually Gain

1. Clarity that cuts through noise

You’ll know what’s working, what’s wobbling, and what’s waste. That alone reduces anxiety and “decision fatigue.”

Hypothetical scenario: A team believes audience growth is the bottleneck. The audit shows the true choke point is slow approvals on proposals. Turnaround is five days. Compressing to 24–48 hours boosts close rates without any new top-of-funnel spend.

2. Time back (without heroic nights and weekends)

Audits usually uncover redundant steps, bottlenecked reviews, and tasks no one needs to do anymore. Freeing even 10% of team time is like adding new headcount (minus payroll).

3. Crisper focus and faster throughput

When priorities get aligned and handoffs clarified, work moves. Roadmaps stop slipping. Teams ship more, argue less, and know what “good” looks like.

4. Margin recovery

Cutting rework, duplication, and low-ROI activities often restores percentage points of margin. That’s real cash.

Hypothetical scenario: A company spends $12k/month on content across three vendors. The audit maps content to funnel stages and reveals 70% of effort is top-of-funnel while pipeline is constrained mid-funnel. Redistributing spend, introducing one “pillar-to-atom” workflow, and enforcing a single voice guide reduces cost to $9k/month and increases MQL→SQL conversion by focusing on middle-of-funnel assets. Net effect: lower spend, higher yield.

5. Better morale (and lower turnover)

Ambiguity is exhausting. Give people clear lanes, fewer fire drills, and tools that work, and engagement goes up. That’s cheaper than recruiting.

6. A business that scales without breaking

Processes move from “tribal knowledge” to documented, teachable systems. New hires ramp faster. Quality becomes predictable. You become harder to copy.

Content Ops: The Audit That Pays for Itself

Content is a lever. It’s also a leak. Most teams create too much, publish too little, and connect it loosely (if at all) to revenue. A content ops audit fixes that by making fewer, better, leveraged your normal.

What to look for

Message drift. Five writers, four tones, three taglines. If your case studies and your homepage sound like different companies, you’re burning trust.
Overproduction, under-distribution. The “content treadmill” rewards volume, not outcomes. A better game: 1 pillar → 8 derivatives → 3 distribution cycles → measured lift.
Misaligned funnel mix. Everyone loves top-of-funnel. It’s fun and visible. But often the gains are in mid- and bottom-of-funnel content that reduces friction where buyers get stuck.
Approval bottlenecks. Legal reviews, brand reviews, stakeholder reviews. Necessary, yes. But they need SLAs and lanes or they’ll strangle velocity.
Unclear ownership. If “everyone” owns content, no one owns content. Define DRI (Directly Responsible Individual), always.

The benefits you can expect

Consistency: A single source of truth for voice, style, and claims. Your brand stops shape-shifting.
Efficiency: Less duplication, fewer rewrites, more reuse. (Pillar-to-atom is the default.)
Attribution that informs spend: Content mapped to journey stages with leading indicators and lagging outcomes.
Velocity: A light process with clear SLAs that brings cycle times down without sacrificing quality.

Business Ops: The Audit That Unlocks Scale

Business ops is where you reclaim margin and momentum. It’s the connective tissue between strategy and execution, and it’s where silent friction compounds.

Common friction points

Work lives in people’s heads. If vacation breaks the business, documentation is weak.
No standard operating cadence. Meetings sprawl, decisions linger, and priorities shift mid-sprint.
Data sprawl. Two CRMs, five spreadsheets, and six “source-of-truths.” Nobody agrees on the numbers.
Approval mazes. Three signatures for a $500 purchase; one signature for a $50k contract. Inverted risk.
Projects slip quietly. No visible WIP (work in progress) limits, no blocked-status reporting, no postmortems.

The benefits you can expect

Predictable delivery. A planning rhythm that matches your sales cycle and engineering/design capacity.
Shorter cycle times. Fewer context switches and fewer handoffs.
Founder independence. Decisions flow through roles, not personalities.
Higher margin. Less rework, clearer costs, and cleaner vendor management.

People Ops: The Audit That Builds a Real Team

Hiring more people doesn’t always create more capacity. Sometimes it creates more coordination overhead and more confusion. A People Ops audit aligns structure, roles, and expectations with the work your business actually needs.

Common friction points

Role overlap and role gaps. Two people doing the same job, or important tasks that belong to no one.
Vague expectations. “Own this” with no definition of outcomes or decision rights.
Performance whiplash. Feedback arrives only at review time; course-correction comes too late.
Mis-hiring. Great humans, wrong seats.
Cultural drift. Values exist on a poster but not in the calendar.

The benefits you can expect

Role clarity and accountability. People know their accountabilities and decision rights.
Better hiring. Job scorecards focus on outcomes, not vague traits.
Faster ramp. Clear onboarding plans and documentation reduce time-to-impact.
Higher engagement. Work that matters, feedback that lands, and rituals that reinforce values.

Objections, Answered (With a Straight Face and a Smile)

“We don’t have time.”
You’re already spending the time, just not on purpose. Reclaiming 10% of team hours pays for the audit many times over.

“Audits are for big companies.”
Small companies benefit more. Less process means fewer places for problems to hide. Small changes = big gains.

“This will slow us down.”
Only if you write a binder no one reads. A founder-friendly audit is fast, visible, and tied to outcomes.

“What if we don’t like what we find?”
Then you’ll be in the best possible position: finally able to fix it.

Measuring ROI (So This Isn’t Just Vibes)

Define ROI before you start. A few practical, quantifiable targets:

Cycle time reduction (e.g., cut proposal approvals from 5 days to 48 hours)
Throughput increase (e.g., ship 20% more roadmap items per quarter without adding headcount)
Cost avoidance (e.g., reclaim 10% of contractor spend by eliminating duplicate work)
Quality metrics (e.g., reduce defects or rework by 30%)
People metrics (e.g., lower regrettable attrition; increase eNPS by 10 points)

Hypothetical ROI math: If your team costs $250k/month fully loaded and you free up 8% capacity (conservative), that’s $20k/month in reclaimed productive time. Over a year: $240k. If your audit and implementation cost a fraction of that, the math works.

Prevention Beats Post-mortems

An audit is a prevention plan: a way to redirect energy from firefighting to value creation. Run it well and you’ll feel the benefits quickly: higher margins, faster shipping, fewer surprises, and a team that operates with calm confidence.

If you’re waiting for the “right time,” consider this: the right time is the moment you realize you’re paying an invisible tax on your business every single day. Lower that tax. Put your business on easier mode.

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Content is Still King

Long before the advent of the internet and the niche digital marketing that followed, content ruled from on top the mountain. A well-placed turn of phrase or the right kind of narrative that sparked a story in a consumer’s mind dominated the advertorial world. As the world advanced, so too did the marketing industry, along with a variety of new and varied marketing techniques.

Yet, content as a priority continued on––sometimes in darkness and sometimes front and center.

Brands face new challenges as we prepare to enter the third decade of the 21^st century. Consumers spend the majority of their time online, and brands have to learn to keep their attention by any means necessary. Blog posts, guest posts, whitepapers, webinars, infographics, social messaging, and email marketing still all require a central component: content.

Content still connects the product to its consumer.

But how?

Answering Questions

Depending on your product or service, customers have a question they need answered, even if they aren’t aware of what that question might be. Perhaps they need to purchase a new car or determine which dentist is best for their family. Within these soft ideas is a hard question unspoken: How do I get this thing I need, but perhaps don’t know how to articulate?

The content that draws them to your funnel of choice should answer these covert and overt questions with simple, easy-to-digest answers. Doing so means that your content sits atop search results, which creates more traffic and customer leads.

Expertise

Thought leaders love to use new and varied terms to describe a much simpler concept: establishing expertise. Customers want to know that the product or service they select is trustworthy and the best possible option. Using content to establish expertise (or thought leadership, if you prefer) allows your brand to stand out amongst your competitors. Content broaches the divide between the known and unknown in terms of trust assessment on the part of customers.

Consumer Loyalty

If answering questions through quality content brings in leads, and expertise provides a base of trust, then continued content ensures consumer loyalty. The regularity of content that speaks to customers engenders the kind of trust necessary to have customers return to purchase more––or provide the vaunted referral that expands your customer base. That personal connection is established through content, by way of involvement and communication.

Accessibility through Conversations

Content is an opportunity to have a conversation with your customers. Whether they are sharing the content or commenting on it, the accessibility of the information they need, and the subsequent conversation that addresses that need through content, is integral to more sales (which, after all, is the bottom line).

If you treat content as a way to drive engagement, in lieu of re-targeting ads or other ad-driven marketing behavior, then you increase overall consumer engagement. Customers want to be heard, but, more importantly, they want to hear from you, the product or service they are considering. A dynamic content marketing strategy not only sells what needs to be sold, but also creates a narrative and community of which prospective customers want to be a part.

When handled properly, your content gives you the opportunity to start a conversation with your customers. They may comment on your blog posts or share your social media posts. In addition to letting you answer customer complaints or questions, you can also gain valuable insights from these comments. When customers begin to see that you take their feedback seriously, they’ll be more likely to continue to buy from you.

So, if content is king, how do you use it to reach the most customers?

Choose writers carefully. The voice of your content matters. Goodness of fit is more than just understanding the topic; it also means understanding the voice of the brand. Since the goal is more customers, make sure that prospective writers grasp what you are trying to do: generate more leads. A grasp of language is important as well, but equally as important is a writer who understands their own voice; otherwise, you end up with a discordant narrative or copy that requires more editing than is cost effective.
Have a content plan. More often than not, businesses don’t have a content plan. If you outsource writing, then those writers could be from disparate time zones. Having a plan in place that does not require synchronicity of writers being in the same time zone, but rather a calendar of when content posts and in what orders serves the most important person: the customer. They see a smooth narrative, regardless of your writing staff.
Consistency is the name of the game. Perhaps nothing is more important than consistency. If you’re fortunate, you have a dedicated team of writers upon whom you can depend. Even if that is not the case, consistency of voice, format, and posting is important from the customer’s perspective. They want to see the finalized product, not the uneven machinations that creates it. Maintain the relationship with your readers by establishing a consistent narrative and content schedule.
Evaluate: rinse, wash, and repeat. One of the many ways that a content strategy becomes stale is by resting on what you have already done. Evaluating the social metrics of your content allows you to adjust, and adjust you should if you wish to keep readers coming back for more. If something doesn’t pique the interest of readers, then all the content in the world is meaningless. For content to be king, the contents needs to resonate with readers. Become an advocate of evaluation and setting new content goals, even if that means adjusting your plan and stable of writers.

Explain-It-Like-I’m-5 Ops: The Toddler, Intern, New-Hire Tests

Every team has them: spaghetti workflows. They start simple but grow into tangled bowls of steps, handoffs, and exceptions. Before long, even seasoned team members get lost.

The result? Slowed projects, constant Slack pings for clarification, and mistakes that could’ve been avoided if the process was easier to follow.

Here’s the truth: a good workflow is the one that anyone can follow. And the best test of clarity isn’t a senior manager. It’s a toddler, an intern, or a brand-new hire.

Why Complexity Creeps In

Processes don’t get messy overnight. They grow tangled as new scenarios pop up and leaders patch them with extra steps:

“If the client is international, add this form.”
“If it’s after 5 PM, route it to this inbox.”
“Unless it’s for marketing, then use the other tool.

Multiply that by months (or years), and what started as a straight line becomes spaghetti. Complexity feels safer, but it actually makes teams slower and less confident.

The Toddler, Intern, New-Hire Tests

Here’s how to tell if your workflow passes the clarity test.

The Toddler Test: Could a 5-year-old understand the basic idea of the process? (Not the jargon, but the “why” and the “what comes next.”) If you can’t explain it simply, it’s too complex.
- Script: “We get a request, we check it, and we either say yes or no.”
The Intern Test: Could someone new to the field follow your steps with minimal supervision? If the instructions require insider knowledge, the process isn’t documented clearly enough.
- Script: “Open the tracker, look for today’s date, and update the status column. Done.”
The New-Hire Test: Could a full-time new employee, trained for one week, run the process without pulling in a manager every five minutes? If not, the workflow needs trimming.
- Script: “When a support ticket comes in, tag it, assign it, and send the pre-written response.”

If your process fails any of these tests, it’s not lean enough.

Converting Spaghetti into 3-Step Paths

The fix isn’t glamorous, but it works. Boil every workflow down to three big steps. Then, add detail only if absolutely necessary.

Example: Expense Approval (messy version vs. clear version).

Spaghetti Workflow:

Submit receipt via email or app (depends on department).
Manager reviews, but finance also needs to check if over $100.
If international, convert currency.
If the receipt is missing details, send back.
If urgent, mark as priority.
Log it in two systems.
…and so on.

3-Step Workflow:

The employee submits expenses in the app.
Manager approves or rejects.
Finance pays or requests corrections.

The messy details don’t disappear. They get baked into automation, templates, or FAQs. The core path stays crystal clear.

Scripts for Simplifying Workflows

When rewriting a process, use these starter scripts:

“At its core, this process is just about ___.”
“There are three things you need to do: 1, 2, 3.”
“If you get stuck, here’s the one place to look for help.”

Think of it like giving directions to a friend visiting from out of town. You don’t tell them every streetlight and intersection.

You give the main roads.

Simplicity = Scalability

The goal is scaling up, not dumbing down. When workflows are so simple a toddler can get the gist, an intern can follow, and a new hire can succeed, you free up your team’s best talent for higher-value work.

That’s what operational excellence looks like: clarity, not complexity.So the next time you’re reviewing a process, ask yourself: Would this pass the toddler, intern, or new-hire test? If not, it’s time to turn spaghetti into a clean three-step path.

Curious about the operational health of your company?

Try one of my $250 audits.

The Bedtime Battle Parents Secretly Win (and Kids Love Too)

Every parent knows the nightly struggle. The clock ticks past eight, pajamas are half on, and little feet thunder down the hallway in a final burst of energy. You plead, bargain, and sometimes bribe, only to watch the minutes slip away while your child resists sleep like it’s the ultimate villain.

Bedtime often feels less like a peaceful transition and more like a battle of wills.

But what if the very thing kids resist (bedtime) could transform into the part of the day they look forward to most? That’s where storytime steps in, turning chaos into calm, frustration into connection, and restless nights into restorative sleep.

From Wrestling Matches to Whispered Magic

Parents often brace for conflict at bedtime. You know the drill: one more glass of water, another trip to the bathroom, a sudden declaration of hunger. These stalling tactics leave everyone drained.

Storytime flips the script. Instead of a drawn-out fight, kids are gently pulled into the world of imagination. The request changes from “I don’t want to sleep!” to “Read me another story!”

Consider this: a child who wriggles endlessly under the covers suddenly lies still, eyes wide with wonder, as you spin the tale of a brave rabbit or a daring explorer. The bedtime “battle” becomes an invitation into calm.

And for once, everyone wins.

Why Storytime Works: The Hidden Science

It isn’t just nostalgia or cute family tradition. Bedtime reading has proven benefits that make it one of the most effective parenting tools you can use.

Calms the body: Listening to a soothing story lowers cortisol, the stress hormone that fuels hyperactivity and anxiety. This helps children’s bodies naturally prepare for sleep.
Strengthens bonds: Reading together creates safe, consistent moments of closeness. Psychologists call this “attachment,” and it lays the foundation for trust and emotional security.
Boosts brains: Storytime grows vocabulary, sparks imagination, and builds early literacy skills. Kids who are read to regularly often enter school more confident and capable.

In short, reading before bed strengthens your child’s mind and heart while gifting you a daily pocket of connection.

The Parent Win You Don’t Have to Fight For

Here’s the secret most parents eventually discover: kids don’t resist storytime. In fact, they crave it. A simple picture book becomes a nightly ticket into wonder. A favorite chapter book becomes the rhythm that tells their body, “Now we rest.”

And for parents? Storytime becomes a pocket of joy amid the exhaustion of the day. It’s the moment your phone is down, the dishes can wait, and your child’s head rests on your shoulder as their breathing slows.

Instead of resenting bedtime, you’ll begin to treasure it. You may even find yourself looking forward to it as much as your child does.

Simple Steps to Flip Bedtime Tonight

You don’t need a Pinterest-perfect routine to reap the benefits. Just a few easy steps can turn bedtime from fight to delight:

Pick a consistent cue. A phrase like, “Time for our story,” signals the shift.
Keep it short and sweet. Even 10-15 minutes of reading can make a big difference.
Let kids choose. Giving them a say in the story builds excitement and ownership.
Dim the lights. A cozy, calm environment tells their body it’s time to wind down.

With these small tweaks, bedtime stops being the hardest part of the day and starts becoming the most cherished.

From Chaos to Calm, One Story at a Time

Bedtime doesn’t have to be a battle. With storytime, it becomes a daily chance to slow down, reconnect, and guide your child gently into sleep. The science proves it, the smiles confirm it, and the peace you feel as their eyelids finally close is all the evidence you need.

So tonight, instead of bracing for resistance, try opening a book. Watch how quickly the battle fades into bonding.And if you’re ready to make storytime simple, fun, and instant: download my eBooks today. They’re the bedtime fix parents secretly love and kids will never resist.

Finding Strength in Gratitude During Layoffs and Hard Times

When life throws us a curveball, it’s natural to focus on what we’ve lost. The paycheck, the title, the daily routine, the sense of purpose. It’s easy to spiral into stress or fear about what comes next.

But what if, in the middle of all that, we took a moment to pause and look at what we still have?

That’s the power of gratitude. And right now, I need it more than ever. Maybe you do as well.

Gratitude isn’t just “positive thinking”

Gratitude doesn’t mean ignoring the hard stuff. It’s not about putting on a fake smile or pretending you’re fine when you’re not. Gratitude is simply noticing the good that’s still there, even when life feels heavy.

It’s not a magic cure. But science shows that practicing gratitude consistently can boost mental health, reduce stress, and help us recover faster from setbacks.

And during a time of layoffs or personal setbacks, that can make all the difference.

Why gratitude helps even when times are tough

Here are some real, research-backed reasons gratitude works, especially when life gets hard:

1. It rewires your brain

Studies from institutions like UC Berkeley and Harvard show that gratitude helps activate brain areas linked to happiness and empathy. Over time, it helps shift your mindset: from focusing on threats to seeing opportunities.

2. It boosts mental health

Grateful people report lower rates of anxiety and depression. It’s not about denying negative feelings, but about balancing them with a sense of hope. A few minutes a day reflecting on what’s going right can keep the tough stuff from overwhelming you.

3. It builds resilience

Think of gratitude as a kind of emotional muscle. When you regularly practice it, you train your brain to bounce back more quickly after setbacks. The pain won’t disappear. But it doesn’t have to define you.

How you can practice gratitude today

Gratitude works best when it’s simple and consistent. Here are a few ways to start:

Each night, write down three things you’re grateful for. Big or small—it doesn’t matter. Just be honest.
Think of one person who helped you this week. Send a short message. You’ll both feel better.
Take a walk and notice the good around you: a neighbor’s garden, a quiet street, the sound of birds.
Write down one good thing each day and drop it in a jar. On tough days, read a few.

Consistency matters more than size. Even 60 seconds a day can shift your mindset over time.

Why gratitude now?

In good times, gratitude is a nice idea. In hard times, it’s a lifeline.

It reminds us that we are more than our jobs. That support still exists. That we have value beyond our resume. It doesn’t mean we don’t hurt. It means we can hurt and still see beauty, connection, and hope.

So if you’re in the middle of a storm, pause.

Look around. Name something, or someone, you’re grateful for.

You might be surprised how much lighter the load feels.

One last challenge: Text one person today and say, “Hey. I was just thinking about you. I’m really grateful for your support.”

It’s a small action.

But it can open a door, strengthen a bond, or brighten someone’s day. Including yours.

Keep Moving Forward: How Getting Things Done Builds Strength in Hard Times

Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger on Pexels.com

We all face tough seasons.

Times when everything feels uncertain or overwhelming. Maybe you’re dealing with personal loss, burnout, or, like me, you’ve been laid off. During moments like these, motivation can vanish and the idea of progress seems far away.

Getting things done, even small things, matters more than ever when life feels hard.

Why action matters in difficult times

When the world feels out of control, finishing a task can give you a sense of power.

You’ve taken a step.

You’ve moved forward. And that movement fuels more movement. It reminds you that you’re still capable, still growing, still in the game.

Getting things done isn’t about pushing through with toxic positivity. It’s about creating momentum, even when you’re not at your best.

The power of setting small, clear goals

When you’re in a tough spot, big goals can feel impossible. So don’t start with the mountain. Start with the next step.

Instead of “write a book,” try “write 100 words today.”

Instead of “get fit,” start with “go for a 10-minute walk.”

Setting small, achievable goals trains your brain to focus on what’s possible. And every time you complete a small goal, you build confidence.

These small wins are like bricks in a wall. They add up. They create structure and strength.

Completion builds resilience

There’s something powerful about finishing something, even a tiny task. Why? Because finishing gives you closure. It tells your brain, “I can do this. I can follow through.” That feeling of completion, no matter how minor, becomes fuel to keep going.

And when life is heavy, we need fuel.

Try this: Make a list of 3 things you can realistically finish today. Then do them. Cross them off. Let that feeling of progress sink in. It’s not about how big the task was. It’s about the fact that you did it.

Progress beats perfection

You don’t have to do it perfectly. You don’t have to be fast. You just have to keep moving. Perfection is a trap, especially when you’re already low on energy. Progress is the goal.

One small win today leads to another tomorrow. That’s how momentum is built.

Slowly, but steadily.

When things are tough, action can feel pointless. But the opposite is true: Action creates hope. Each small step forward reminds you that you’re not stuck. That you’re not powerless. That you’re still in motion.

So set a goal, just one.

Make it small. Do it. Finish it.

Then do it again tomorrow.

In hard times, doing something is always better than doing nothing.

Out of Work, Not Out of Options: My 2-Week Job Hunt Roadmap

Getting laid off is a major life moment.

And it felt overwhelming. But I saw it as a chance to refocus and reconnect. To take control of your next chapter.

If you’re wondering where to start, here’s a focused, doable 2-week project plan that I made to help me move from “What now?” to “What’s next?”

Each day includes one action step and a sample conversation starter you can use when reaching out to others. The goal: build momentum without burning out.

Week 1: Groundwork + Momentum

Day 1: Regroup and set a clear goal

Before you start applying, get clear on what you’re looking for.

Take some time to list your skills, strengths, and what excites you in a job.
Write a simple goal statement: “I’m looking for [type of role] at [type of company].”

Conversation starter:

“I’m taking a short pause to refocus and I’m targeting [role] positions at [industry/type of company]. I’d love your perspective as I shape my next steps.”

Day 2: Update your resume

Make your resume current and compelling.

Add your most recent role and focus on impact. What changed because of your work?
Use strong action verbs and simplify old language.
Aim for clarity and alignment with your job goal.

Conversation starter:

“I just updated my resume to better reflect the kind of work I want to do next. Would you be open to giving it a quick look?”

Day 3: Refresh your LinkedIn profile

A polished LinkedIn profile can do a lot of the networking for you.

Update your headline to match your target role.
Rewrite the About section to be warm, confident, and future-focused.
Make sure your profile photo is current and professional.

Conversation starter:

“I’m refreshing my LinkedIn to better match my next chapter—would love your thoughts on how it comes across.”

Day 4: Build a target company list

Alongside applying everywhere, start with 10–15 companies you admire.

Look at recent job postings.
Follow them on LinkedIn.
Search for mutual connections.

Conversation starter:

“I’m building a list of companies I’d be excited to join. Any favorites you recommend I add to the mix?”

Day 5: Reconnect with 5–10 people

This is about being visible and real.

Reach out to former coworkers, mentors, or people you admire.
Keep it short and personal.

Conversation starter:

“Hi [Name], I hope you’re doing well! I’m making a move after my recent layoff and wanted to reconnect. I’d love to catch up and hear what you’ve been working on.”

Day 6: Practice your story

You’ll get asked about the layoff. Be ready with a clear, calm answer.

Write a 2-3 sentence version that focuses on the future.
Practice it out loud until it feels natural.

Example:

“There were some tough cuts at the company and my role was impacted. It’s given me the chance to focus on what I really want next—[insert your goal here].”

Conversation starter:

“I was part of a recent layoff, but I’m energized about finding something that aligns even better with my strengths.”

Day 7: Rest and reflect

Yes, this is a real step. Rest is productive. Let your mind reset and absorb everything you’ve done.

Optional check-in:

“I took today to rest and recharge. It’s been a productive first week, and I’m excited to see what unfolds next.”

Week 2: Visibility + Action

Day 8: Post about your search on LinkedIn

Let your network know you’re open to opportunities.

Keep it honest and specific.
Ask for intros, not just jobs.

Example post lede:

“After a great run at [Company], I was part of a recent layoff. I’m now looking for my next opportunity as a [Role]. If you know of a team looking for [skills/strengths], I’d be grateful for a warm intro or lead!”

Day 9: Apply to 5-10 great-fit jobs

Quality over quantity here.

Tailor your resume and cover letter to each role.
Focus on jobs that excite you.

Cover email lede:

“I was excited to see this opening at [Company]. My experience in [area] and passion for [topic] make this a strong match.”

Day 10: Ask for referrals

Warm referrals go a long way.

Identify 2–3 companies where you know someone.
Send a polite, thoughtful message.

Conversation starter:

“I noticed you’re at [Company]. I’m really interested in a role there and was wondering if you’d feel comfortable referring me or sharing a bit about your experience.”

Day 11: Practice a mock interview

Even if you don’t have one scheduled yet, practice helps.

Ask someone to role-play.
Focus on telling your story clearly and confidently.

Conversation starter:

“Would you be open to doing a quick mock interview with me? I want to make sure I’m presenting myself clearly and confidently.”

Day 12: Follow up

Nudge gently. Be professionally annoying.

Follow up on job applications, emails, and LinkedIn messages.
Keep it respectful and concise.

Follow-up lede:

“Just checking in to follow up on my message from earlier this week. Completely understand how busy things get. I’d still love to connect if you’re open!”

Day 13: Share something online

Show up as more than a “job seeker.” Share your thinking or insights.

Post a short takeaway from your search or a helpful article.
Stay top of mind with your network.
Post whatever you feel comfortable with. It’s important to stay visible.

Post lede:

“This week I’ve been reflecting on [topic]. One thing I’ve learned: [insight]. If you’re navigating a job search too, I’d love to connect.”

Day 14: Celebrate and plan ahead

Look at what you’ve accomplished.

Note any wins: responses, clarity, confidence.
Write 2–3 goals for next week.
Treat yourself. You’ve done serious work.

Check-in message:

“Week two down! I’ve had some great conversations and a few leads I’m hopeful about. Thanks for cheering me on.”

Finding a new job is a process. But you don’t have to do it all at once. This two-week plan gives you structure without stress, and action without burnout.

Keep showing up.

Keep connecting.

And keep moving forward.

You’ve got this.

See you out there.

How to Hire Smarter and Faster: A 3-Day Interview Workflow That Works

Hiring top talent doesn’t have to be slow.

Yet many companies still rely on outdated, drawn-out processes that stretch across weeks (or even months). Meanwhile, the best candidates are off the market in just 10 days on average (Genius).

If your team can’t move fast enough, someone else will.

One of the most common bottlenecks? Calendar chaos.

When key decision-makers aren’t available to meet candidates promptly, everything stalls. Interviews get rescheduled, feedback gets delayed, and momentum dies. The solution: structure your hiring process in advance and make sure the right people are available before you bring candidates into the pipeline.

Here’s how to do it with a lean, three-day hiring workflow.

Before you interview: Set the stage for speed

1. Define the role clearly

Start with a tight, well-scoped job description. Be explicit about must-have skills, expected outcomes, and success metrics. Clarity upfront means less confusion (and fewer mismatched candidates) later.

2. Build an Ideal Candidate Profile (ICP)

Focus on soft skills as much as hard ones. Consider what can be trained (tools, processes) versus what can’t (resilience, curiosity, communication). This helps interviewers evaluate more consistently and quickly.

3. Reserve stakeholder time now

Before you even post the job, ensure that all key decision-makers (hiring manager, team leads, culture fit evaluators) have open slots for interviews over a 48-hour window. Pre-block the time. This eliminates back-and-forth scheduling and keeps the process moving without delay.

Day-by-day: A focused hiring workflow

Day 1 – Interview #1: Core Skills + Soft Skills

Use clear, structured questions to assess:

Can the candidate do the job?
Have they done similar work before?
How do they communicate and collaborate?

End the interview with a quick team debrief. If it’s a “yes,” schedule Interview #2 for the next day.

Day 2 – Interview #2: Skills Fit

Go deeper into technical or domain-specific expertise. This can include problem-solving tasks, portfolio reviews, or scenario-based challenges.

Again, debrief immediately and move forward if there’s alignment.

Day 3 – Interview #3: Culture Fit

Bring in cross-functional peers or future teammates. Assess how the candidate aligns with your values, communication style, and team dynamic.

Make a decision the same day, and extend the offer within 24 hours.

How this compares to typical workflows

The average time to hire in the U.S. is around 42 days (SHRM). That’s six weeks of interviews, coordination, and waiting. And in a competitive market, that’s six weeks too long.

A compressed 3-day model ensures:

No calendar bottlenecks
Stronger candidate experience
Faster access to top talent
Lower recruiting costs

This removes friction.

You don’t have to cut corners. Speed means doing the prep work up front: defining the role clearly, knowing what you’re looking for, and making sure your team is actually ready to hire. When stakeholders are aligned and available, everything moves faster.

And you make better hires, too.

An unintended consequence? Candidates will be more energized even if you don’t hire them. They will be more likely to refer you to others because of how transparent and efficient the workflow was.

Sounds like a win-win to me.

Bailing Out the Passenger Side

Change is constant.

And being flexible helps you stay in the game. But there’s a difference between staying flexible and letting outside noise take over your decision-making. Yes, outside input can be helpful. However, if it starts steering the ship, you risk losing what makes your business yours.

Here’s what to watch out for.

Don’t give up control

Mission over trends every time. If your decisions start to reflect trends more than your own mission, you’re heading into trouble. Stay grounded in your values. Let them guide your actions. Trends can support your goals. They should not rewrite them.

Do this: Before making a decision based on outside input, ask, “Does this support what we’re really here to do?”

Be on the lookout for short-term thinking

Don’t abandon your long-term strategy. Chasing quick wins pulls your focus from long-term results. It’s easy to make reactive moves under pressure. Short-term thinking rarely builds something that lasts.

Do this: Ask. “What will this move mean six months from now?”

Don’t bet the farm on trends

Markets shift. Forecasts are often wrong. Plans shouldn’t be built on what’s popular right now. That’s a quick way to set yourself up for a costly reset later.

Do this: Pair outside data with your own experience and customer feedback.

Make sure the strategy fits your business

You started your company or business for some reason. Someone’s playbook isn’t necessarily going to work for you. If you do, adjust for context to avoid confusion, wasted time, and missed opportunities.

Do this: Stop and ask, “What parts of this actually apply to us, and what doesn’t?”

Keep space for original thinking

If you rely on the ideas of others, you lose your voice. Fresh thinking rarely comes from following someone else’s lead. Observe your business closely and ask different questions.

Do this: Set regular time aside for internal brainstorming.

Build your inner strength

You can’t pivot if everything you’re doing is based on what others say and do. Businesses with a clear internal compass recover faster and respond more effectively under stress.

Do this: Ask yourself, “If things change tomorrow, do we know who we are and what we stand for?”

External input can absolutely help.

However, it should never be a replacement for clarity of your identity, values, and goals. Make space for outside insights, but let your own judgment lead. That’s how you stay steady and strong, no matter what comes next.

Chasing Basketball Greatness

“Michael Jordan.”

“No, Lebron James.”

“If we’re just talking about rings, then it has to be Bill Russell.”

“Mt. Rushmore then?”

“So, only four guys?

“How about an all-time starting five?”

If you love basketball, then you’ve no doubt had some version of this conversation. And depending on how you define greatness or who your team is, you might bend the narrative to fit your favorite players.

So, how do you decide who’s the greatest?

My brother and I came up with a solution that balances out the many differences across the eras of basketball, taking into account the different rules of the game and regulations governing the seasonal awards (don’t get me started on the changes to statistical leaders), all without leaving out players who don’t have YouTube channels dedicated to their highlights.

Our solution was to group the basketball greats into four tiers based on specific criteria that demonstrate individual excellence and dominance. To be placed in a specific tier, a player must meet all of its criteria.

All-Time 1st Team: 2 NBA championships, 5 NBA Finals appearances, 1 season MVP, 5 league-wide honors, and 3x All-NBA 1st Team.

All-Time 2nd Team: 1 NBA championship and either an MVP and 2 league-wide honors, or 3x All-NBA 1st Team and 4 league-wide honors.

All-Time 3rd Team: Either an MVP and 2 league-wide honors, or 3x All-NBA 1st Team and 2 league-wide honors, or 7 league-wide honors.

We defined a league-wide honor as one that any player can achieve (excluding honors like Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year). The eligible categories are:

MVP
FMVP (Finals MVP)
DPOY
Statistical Category Leader for a season (Scoring, Assists, Rebounds, Steals, Blocks)
3 All-NBA 1st Team selections (Every three selections counts as one honor)

So, why those criteria?

We selected those specific honors and achievements because they demonstrate sustained player excellence and dominance. From there we selected the number of achievements for each tier to account for the difficulty of reaching the Finals, much less winning a championship, as well as the individual challenge of being a seasonal statistical leader or being honored as the best at your position. We also tried to balance the value of more subjective awards like MVP and All-NBA 1st Team with more objective ones like NBA championships and statistical category leaders.

We know this is not a definitive list, but it certainly helped us clarify our thinking as we tried to define greatness and compare the many great players who dedicated their lives to basketball. And we definitely agonized over leaving some players out (Scottie Pippen; he was one accolade short despite being part of the Bulls dynasty).

(The listed accolades aren’t exhaustive. They are the minimum required for the tier.)

All-Time 1st Team

Bob Cousy (1950-63, 1969-70) : 6 NBA Championships, 7 NBA Finals Appearances, 1x MVP, 10x All-NBA 1st Team, 8x Assist Leader
Bill Russell (1956-69): 11 NBA Championships, 12 NBA Finals Appearances, 5x MVP, 3x All-NBA 1st Team, 4x Rebounds Leader
Wilt Chamberlain (1959-73): 2 NBA Championships, 6 NBA Finals Appearances, 4x MVP, 7x All-NBA 1st Team, 11x Rebounds Leader
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-89): 6 NBA championships, 10 NBA Finals Appearances, 6x MVP, 10x All-NBA 1st Team
Larry Bird (1979-92): 3 NBA Championships, 5 NBA Finals Appearances, 3x MVP, 9x All-NBA 1st Team, 2x FMVP
Magic Johnson (1979-91, 1995-96): 5 NBA Championships, 9 NBA Finals Appearances, 3x MVP, 9x All-NBA 1st Team, 4x Assists Leader
Michael Jordan (1984-93, 1994-98, 2001-03): 6 NBA Championships, 6 NBA Finals Appearances, 5x MVP, 10x All-NBA 1st Team
Shaquille O’Neal (1992-2011): 4 NBA Championships, 6 NBA Finals Appearances, 1x MVP, 8x All-NBA 1st Team, 3x FMVP, 2x Scoring Leader
Kobe Bryant (1996-2016): 5 NBA Championships, 7 NBA Finals Appearances, 1x MVP, 11x All-NBA 1st Team, 2x FMVP, 2x Scoring Leader
Tim Duncan (1997-2016): 5 NBA Championships, 6 NBA Finals Appearances, 2x MVP, 10x All-NBA 1st Team, 3x FMVP
LeBron James (2003-25): 4 NBA Championships, 10 NBA Finals Appearances, 4x MVP, 13x All-NBA 1st Team
Steph Curry (2009-25): 4 NBA Championships, 6 NBA Finals Appearances, 2x MVP, 4x All-NBA 1st Team, 2x Scoring Leader, 1x FMVP, 1x Steals Leader

All-Time 2nd Team

George Mikan (1948-56): 5 NBA Championships, 6x All-NBA 1st Team, 3x Scoring Leader
Bob Pettit (1954-65): 1 NBA Championship, 2x MVP, 2x Scoring Leader
Jerry West (1960-74): 1 NBA Championship, 10x All-NBA 1st Team, 1 FMVP, 1x Scoring Leader
Oscar Robertson (1960-74): 1 NBA Championship, 1x MVP, 6x Assist Leader
Willis Reed (1964-74): 2 NBA Championships, 1x MVP, 2x FMVP
Wes Unseld (1968-81): 1 NBA Championship, 1x MVP, 1x FMVP, 1x Rebounds Leader
Bob McAdoo (1972-86): 2 NBA Championships, 1x MVP, 3x Scoring Leader
Bill Walton (1974-87): 2 NBA Championships, 1x MVP, 1 FMVP, 1x Rebounds Leader
Julius Erving (1976-87): 1 NBA Championship, 1x MVP, 5x All-NBA 1st Team (3x ABA MVP, 4x All-ABA 1st Team, 2x ABA Scoring Leader)
Moses Malone (1976-95): 1 NBA Championship, 3x MVP
Hakeem Olajuwon (1984-2002): 2 NBA Championships, 1x MVP, 2x DPOY
David Robinson (1989-2003): 2 NBA Championships, 1x MVP, 1x DPOY, 4x All-NBA 1st Team
Jason Kidd (1994-2013): 1 NBA Championship, 5x All-NBA 1st Team, 5x Assists Leader
Kevin Garnett (1995-2016): 1 NBA Championship, 1x MVP, 4x Rebounds Leader
Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2019): 1 NBA Championship, 1x MVP, 1x FMVP, 4x All-NBA 1st Team
Dwight Howard (2004-22): 1 NBA Championship, 5x All-NBA 1st Team, 5x Rebounds Leader
Kevin Durant (2007-25): 2 NBA Championships, 1x MVP, 4x Scoring Leader
Kawhi Leonard (2011-25): 2 NBA Championships, 3x All-NBA 1st Team, 2x FMVP, 2x DPOY
Giannis Antetokounmpo (2013-25): 1 NBA Championship, 2x MVP, 6x All-NBA 1st Team
Nikola Jokic (2015-25): 1 NBA Championship, 3x MVP

All-Time 3rd Team

Dolph Schayes (1949-64): 6x All-NBA 1st Team, 1x Rebounds Leader
Paul Arizin (1950-62): 3x All-NBA 1st Team, 2x Scoring Leader
Neil Johnston (1951-59): 4x All-NBA 1st Team, 3x Scoring Leader
Elgin Baylor (1958-72): 10x All-NBA 1st Team
Rick Barry (1965-80): 5x All-NBA 1st Team, 1x FMVP, 1x Scoring Leader
Elvin Hayes (1968-84): 3x All-NBA 1st Team, 1x Scoring Leader, 2x Rebounds Leader
Nate Archibald (1970-84): 3x All-NBA 1st Team, 1x Scoring Leader, 1x Assists Leader
George Gervin (1976-86): 5x All-NBA 1st Team, 4x Scoring Leader
Isiah Thomas (1981-94): 3x All-NBA 1st Team, 1x FMVP, 1x Assists Leader
Charles Barkley (1984-2000): 1x MVP, 5x All-NBA 1st Team, 1x Rebounds Leader
John Stockon (1984-2003): 9x Assists Leader
Karl Malone (1985-2004): 2x MVP, 11x All-NBA 1st Team
Dennis Rodman (1986-2000): 2x DPOY, 7x Rebounds Leader
Dikembe Mutombo (1991-2009): 4x DPOY, 2x Rebounds Leader, 3x Blocks Leader
Allen Iverson (1996-2010): 1x MVP, 3x All-NBA 1st Team, 4x Scoring Leader
Ben Wallace (1996-2012): 4x DPOY, 2x Rebounds Leader, 1x Blocks Leader
Steve Nash (1996-2014): 2x MVP, 5x Assists Leader
Chris Paul (2005-25): 4x All-NBA 1st Team, 5x Assists Leader
Russell Westbrook (2008-25): 1x MVP, 2x Scoring Leader
James Harden (2009-25): 1x MVP, 6x All-NBA 1st Team, 3x Scoring Leader
Anthony Davis (2012-25): 4x All-NBA 1st Team, 3x Blocks Leader
Joel Embid (2016-25): 1x MVP, 2x Scoring Leader

Note: Several honors were not available to early greats like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. For example, Finals MVP was not awarded until 1969, blocks and steals were not recorded until the 1973-74 season, and the DPOY award did not start until the 1982-83 season.

Editorial Resume: 2035 Edition

It’s hard to imagine an editor of the future without thinking about how much the role has already changed. Editors once focused on grammar, structure, and style guides. Now, strategy, SEO, distribution, and product marketing are part of the package.

Ten years from now?

The skill set will be broader, sharper, and more business-minded than ever.

If you’re hiring (or shaping your own résumé), here’s what you might be looking for (or adding) over the next decade.

Brand alignment defeats voice & tone

Editors who can translate a brand’s market position into a repeatable content strategy bring far more to the table than writing chops. They create the conditions for that voice to mean something over time.

Instead of being reactive, they’re proactive.

They define how a brand speaks, what it says, and when it says it. This level of thinking shifts content creation from a task to a framework, allowing a brand to speak with clarity and purpose across multiple channels without losing consistency.

These editors will have an edge because they think in terms of systems. They connect the dots between positioning and production. They help shape briefs. They ask, “Why does this matter for where the brand is going?”

That mindset turns content from an output into a strategic asset. If a brand is trying to own a particular conversation in its industry, then the editor decides how that conversation should unfold.

Week after week, quarter after quarter.

This requires more than understanding a tone of voice or an internal style guide. Those are just surface details. The deeper work lies in shaping the ongoing themes a brand wants to lead with.

It’s about identifying the ideas that support a company’s position in the market and building a repeatable approach to expressing them. This future editor must be able to decide what kind of stories deserve attention and how to build editorial pillars that guide decision-making.

This is where strategy meets execution.

Strong editorial leads think ahead:

They set up calendars that reflect real business priorities, not just vague content buckets.
They work with marketing and product leads to pinpoint moments worth amplifying.
They build briefs that help contributors focus on what matters.
They craft templates and feedback systems that shorten review cycles and improve quality across the board.
They create the infrastructure that lets a team move faster without sacrificing depth or direction.

Editors who do this well give brands the confidence to speak consistently. They make it easier for others to contribute without drifting off message. They reduce ambiguity, shorten approval loops, and protect the strategic throughline even when multiple hands touch the work.

The result is a content program that scales with intention. Not just more content, but content that builds toward something. Editors who can drive that kind of clarity earn trust quickly.

They’re defining.

And once you’ve done that, you’re no longer proving you can “write for the brand.” You’ve shown that you can lead the brand’s voice across time, across topics, and across teams.

That’s where the real value is.

Market share is in your vocabulary

The best editors are increasingly expected to understand their influence beyond traditional metrics. They’ll need to speak to their impact in terms rooted in outcomes, not just output. Editing work is becoming less about volume and more about shaping a content operation that supports broader business goals.

Future resumes won’t be filled with long lists of articles published.

Instead, they’ll reference measurable results. Editors will highlight how their strategic input helped increase share of search across high-value keywords (some of us already have this on our resumes). They’ll discuss how they helped their brand claim a greater share of voice in a competitive category. They’ll point to improved visibility across priority verticals.

This shift demands a new type of awareness.

Editors are no longer just polishers of prose or defenders of style guides. They’re collaborators with SEO leads, content strategists, and product marketers. They help shape briefs with search intent in mind. They push for content formats that make sense for different distribution channels. They question how each piece of content supports broader goals.

Editorial decisions can influence how content performs across a funnel.

From early discovery through organic search to engagement via email, and even conversion on landing pages, editing isn’t an isolated function. When editors understand the objectives behind a campaign or content initiative, they’re better positioned to make decisions that improve outcomes.

This doesn’t mean every editor needs to be a data analyst.

However, it does mean they should be familiar with key performance indicators and understand how to read a content report. Knowing how long a piece of content held a top ranking, what kind of backlinks it attracted, or how it compared against competitors provides context for future strategy.

Hiring teams are looking for editors who can speak the language of performance. They want to see examples of content that didn’t just read well, but helped shift perception, improve search performance, or drive qualified traffic. Editors who understand how their work ties into campaign results or quarterly targets will stand out.

Editors don’t need to transform into marketers.

However, they need to recognize that their work contributes to the same goals. Editorial thinking (when combined with business awareness) can lead to sharper, more effective content. Editors who embrace this broader view will be better positioned for senior roles and long-term growth. Their resumes will reflect outcomes like “grew traffic to product pages by X% through editorial improvements” or “helped increase share of search for strategic keyword groupings.”

The bar is rising.

Editing is no longer a behind-the-scenes function. It’s becoming central to how organizations compete for attention and trust. Editors who can show how their decisions helped move key metrics will be the ones whose work stands out.

AI fluency is the floor, not the ceiling

Editing is entering a new phase.

Shaping machine-generated output is just as common as rewriting a colleague’s draft. As AI becomes a regular part of content production, editors must adapt their skill sets to work across both human and machine inputs.

Traditional editing practices aren’t going away.

They’re being redefined.

Editors now need to think beyond sentence-level revisions and grammar. They’re expected to structure content generated by models, refine prompts that influence tone and clarity, and manage workflows where machines do the first pass and humans refine the results.

This shift changes the rhythm of the editorial process. Instead of starting with a rough human draft, editors often begin with a block of text that’s technically accurate but lacks voice, context, or insight.

Structuring that raw output into something useful requires new instincts:

What can stay?
What needs rewriting?
Where is the content bland or generic?

This isn’t traditional line editing. It’s closer to sense-making. Editors will (unfortunately, perhaps) become curators, working with blocks of generated content and identifying what fits and what misses the mark.

Prompt writing will be a central skill.

Not just to get better output from the start, but to standardize how teams use AI tools. Editors who create prompt libraries are setting editorial benchmarks. A well-crafted prompt library turns guesswork into process. It helps content teams stay consistent in tone, accuracy, and structure, even when using generative tools across multiple channels.

We aren’t just trading red pens for dashboards.

It’s about building a workflow where machine output is useful (but not final). Editors must decide when a piece is ready to publish and when it still needs a human touch. That judgment call is becoming one of the most valuable skills in the process.

It can’t be automated.

And it will define how trusted a brand or publisher remains. The hard truth is that editing is expanding to include orchestration. It’s time to add some new skills.

Content operations experience required

The ad-hoc editorial calendar has seen its day.

Random publishing dates, last-minute copy changes, or vaguely aligned campaigns are quickly becoming obsolete. Editors who want to lead in this new environment must shift focus from creative bursts to consistent, scalable execution.

Creativity still matters.

However, without infrastructure to support it, even the best ideas fall flat.

Editors who will thrive in this new environment are system builders. They think beyond the article or campaign to consider how each piece fits into a larger framework. They work across teams to align marketing, product, and sales.

They make publishing predictable.

Start with the workflow:

Who needs to be involved?
What are the key approvals?
Where do things get stuck?

Answering these questions early helps reduce confusion later. A clear process gets people out of Slack threads and endless meetings, and into actual production. The best workflows are boring.

They’re consistent.

They’re trusted.

People know what to expect.

Editors must manage a calendar that syncs across functions. It reflects campaign timelines, product launches, event moments, and seasonal shifts. It’s updated regularly.

And everyone knows where to find it. A synced calendar prevents duplicate work, makes cross-promotion easier, and keeps the entire org rowing in the same direction.

Next up: briefs.

Too many teams still work from vague descriptions or half-baked ideas. A good brief eliminates confusion. It makes expectations clear from the start:

What the goal is
Who the audience is
What success looks like

Done well, a brief speeds up production and improves quality. It gives writers and designers the clarity they need to execute. The right structure also makes it easier to onboard freelancers or new hires.

Now, the dreaded feedback loop.

Reporting can’t be an afterthought. Editors who track performance consistently can make better decisions. They learn what works, what misses, and where to double down. Reporting also helps secure buy-in for future projects.

Budget conversations are easier when leadership sees the numbers.

None of this is flashy. Over time, this is what separates teams that grow from those that burn out. Ideas are still the heart of great content, but execution is the muscle. Without systems, the heart doesn’t move much. With systems, content teams can do what they’re meant to do: produce work that connects, informs, and drives real outcomes.

The editor of the future still needs taste.

Still needs instincts.

Still needs a feel for story and language.

But just as much, they need to be builders. People who can think in systems, align teams, and turn strategy into something real.

Strategic thinking is baked in

The resume of 2035 might read a bit like a hybrid between editor, project manager, and strategist. Storytelling will always matter. It’s the backbone of good content and the mark of a sharp editor. But to lead in this field over the next decade, editors will need more than strong prose and a keen sense for narrative.

They’ll need to think like operators.

They must become people who can influence the pipeline, accelerate delivery, and measure the value of content in hard numbers.

Editors of the next era will still need to care about the craft. But they’ll also need to be systems thinkers. They’ll be asked to solve operational problems, manage inputs across departments, and understand how their work fits into revenue and retention conversations. They’ll build assets that keep working long after publish day.

Storytelling will always be part of it. But the editors who rise will be the ones who treat content like an engine, not just a deliverable.

So if you’re hiring (or looking ahead) it might be time to reframe what “editorial experience” really means.